The Horrors at The Academy : In Review

The Horrors - The Academy 

With a thick and weighty stage presence that always brings to mind the movie ‘Control’, I walked into The Academy to an already-very-much-in-progress show by The Horrors. I, apparently, was 20 minutes late - having arrived at 9 - though through lack of much further publicity about the show apart from the initial sales push, I’m still not even sure if there was a support act* or what time the bands set actually started at. Not great to be fair. 

Regardless of such minor irritations, The Horrors stage show did not disappoint - in fact, it was fucking great. Though I do hope for insurances’ sake it came with a photo epilepsy warning - because the rather epic light show that accompanied would certainly have felled anyone with even the most minor malady. ‘Sea Within a Sea’ - one of my own favorites - was within the first few I caught - and had the crowd riled to a state of frenzy when the ever recognizable synth line kicked in halfway through the song. It was tight as fuck live - and could well have passed for the recorded album version - bar a nicely more evident live drum mix. Moving swiftly into ‘Still Life’ off their newest release ‘Skying’ - Faris Badwins’ idiosyncratic gesticulations were reminiscent of an old show band frontman - though granted, with much more hair and distressed leather. The band disappeared all too soon into the smog after this song - yes, I know I had just arrived). An eerily ominous, low synth sound resonated throughout the venue as the we-know-you’re-coming-back-for-an-encore purgatory went on for all of about 5 minutes before the band returned to placate the roaring crowds with two more songs. 

‘Changing The Rain’ was the penultimate song in the set - and its stodgily thick drum beat opening was deliciously thudding, and made what i can only describe as bone-crunch-noise samples that sat beside it, all the more gratifying. Each member of the band is equally captivating in their performances - detachedly nonchalant, but utterly involved in the (re)creation of each song - your eyes dart from musician to musician constantly, though Badwins’ mashing the mic up against the amps antics to create some fuck-off reverberated distortion was nothing short of classic rock god antics. The finale song was ‘Moving Further Away’ and its ridiculously perfect synth line start was twinned with actual maracas to create the shake noise you can hear on the album ( why the revelation of this instrument struck me as odd somehow i don’t know ). Lost in their own personal worlds of noise, the boys closed with this absolute belter. They’re SUCH a band - and their show was worth every moment of the six month wait from ticket purchase to actuality. And I have NO fucking patience.

(Caveat : My only minor foible with the show is down to preference - with bands who’s tunes are grimy and gritty as the Horrors - I almost prefer seeing them in the slightly more ineloquent settings of a festival tent - with all its beer-cup-strewn messiness and rolling eyed puntered mayhem. But maybe that’s just me)

* (Apparently there was a support act and their name was TOY - you can listen to them here)

Overhead, The Albatross w. We Arrive Alive & Margie Lewis

Gig Fatigue. I think i’ve been suffering from it lately. But the Overhead, The Albatross / We Arrive Alive / Margie Lewis gig in the Twisted Pepper last saturday night I think might have been just the antidote. Thank fuck too, cause theres nothing worse than being gig-weary. I think I’m cured. 

Margie Lewis

Standing aside a table full of pretty looking analogue instruments, I had very little idea of what to expect from Margie Lewis, who opened the Overhead, the Albatross show in the Twisted Pepper on Saturday night with an equal measure of self-possession and hesitant nerves. Her set was a sort of mirror of this dichotomy.  Looping details from her expertly played antique instruments, the set at once verged on folky - with the inclusion of a thumb piano, ukulele, violin and an amazing, newly received table harp - and a more modern electro vibe. Her own vocals - which followed the same looping patterns as her plethora of instruments, was layered and vaguely pixie-esque in its delivery, though moved swiftly to shouted and static staccato moments - made all the more unexpected by Margies’ humble and adorable stage persona. The latter songs in the set - none of which had their titles announced unfortunately - were the more raucous of the short 20 minute display. Lewis finished off her set with a  song that layered vocals, programmed drums and more of her varied instrumentation, that brought a slight Biork reference to mind. Online, there is scant trace of Margies’ solo work, though you can check out vocals she did on this Bantum track here.

We Arrive Alive

This is an act that I have been anxious to see for a long time, but foibles of scheduling contrived to make me miss every gig they have played in the last few months. They are as great live as their recordings suggest. An onslaught of energetic and frenetic activity onstage, they seem to be many more than their 5 pieces - and filled the stage with rambunctious energy. Earlier songs in the set, such as ‘Slow Fall’, had great blocky drums and keyboard lines - and were cinematic in their soft and slow build. Though this theme lasted only a short two songs before it was announced ‘Sorry to all you ambient lovers out there. It’s all over from now on in’ before the quintet proceeded to launch into the more intense side of their 3 guitar, bass-y, drum driven mayhem of cacophonous sound for the remainder of their set. Their music is a constant build and relief of noise, and it is this juxtaposition of tension that heightens the senses. Grimey reverb, smashing guitar sounds and repetitive themes throughout songs make this band one that i will certainly be looking out for. If you need an introduction, check out ‘Walls’ from We Arrive Alives’ EP of the same name here. 

Overhead, The Albatross

Pure sonic aggression seemed to tumble down off the stage as the six lads that make up Overhead, The Albatross took over the space. ‘Pigonometry’ - one of my own personal favorites - was one of the first songs on the night, and is indicative of their seemingly frenetic, yet completely premeditated style of music, but other songs - such as ‘Liam Neeson’ -  with its Elton John-esque (yes, that is a term now) piano line - were equally as epic on the night and performed with such vigor that I was sure there would be some sort of unfathomable injury done to one of the lads as they mounted amps, whilst enshrouded in wafts of smoke that rose from the stage, backlit by the awesome lighting that makes me fall even more in love with Twisted Pepper stage shows every time. With grandiose and rhythmic instrumentation- their music is, for me, more akin to classical composition than anything else, though the inclusion of clicking and clunky guitar sounds and quirky vocal samples that catapult it very much into the 21st century. The show, at one point, seemed to be inspiring some serious three man love up the front, where arm in arm, a trio of spectators swayed in appreciative harmony to the music, whilst others held up homemade signs that read ‘something’, ‘something’ ‘LADS’ (though I might have missed out on other signs that completed that partial thought there - sorry). Finishing with ‘Flubirds’ in all its crashing drums, violin programmed, slow-headbang-inspiring glory, it was a great performance.

(Also, and this isn’t one of those throwaway ‘the band were crap but the venue was amazing’ comments - but holy shit - The Twisted Peppers’ lights are fucking unbelievable - Its a cracking venue.)

Bouts 7″ Launch at The Workmans Club with Girl

It was all a bit punk inspired in the Workman’s on Friday night, with a line up for the Bouts 7″ launch including support acts in Girl Band and We Are Losers. Think plenty of guitars rubbing against amps, reverb, screaming vocals and thrashing drums, and you’ll get a sense of what Friday night was all about.

Girl Band

These boys are the personification of a “garage” band – you can imagine their set would be practiced or performed with a similar amount of vigour regardless of the setting, and the small, early crowd on the night didn’t phase the boys in the slightest as they bashed out their set of often vicious punk tunes. Each time, I am absolutely won over by Girl Band – they are raw and unrepentant of their 90′s punk inspiration, and overtones of The Horrors come to mind in songs such as ‘Elastic‘ – one of the highlights of the set – with its low slung vocal lines that roughen up into impassioned and screamed choruses. Another winner for me is the band’s rendition of the Chemical Brothers’ song ‘Hanna‘ – whose introduction is in blocky, high pitched guitar line noises – which I would love to see more of in their set – it adds a splash of unabashed modernity to their otherwise old-school punk sound.  There was  a strange dichotomy, however, between the performance and the interludes; when the band’s introduction of themselves elicited wolf whistles from the crowd, frontman Dara Kiely responded hesitantly with “well, thats a first – I’m shy…” – hey, wait, really? Keep an eye out for the launch of the next single from these boys, it’s being released on the 10th of April.

We Are Losers 

With a Facebook bio that claims “we sound like 4 adults trying to sound like 4 teenagers”, I did wonder what a stage show from We Are Losers would be like. Well, entertaining, frankly. Between Naas-related-in-jokes and easy banter with the crowd, We Are Losers, smashed out their delightfully messy, grungy tunes that brought to mind a mixture of Green Day and The Beach Boys. ‘The Narcissist‘ was amongst the opening tunes, and it epitomizes their sound – rackety guitars, quick fire drums and three-part harmonies that are actually better in real life than on the recordings, in my opinion. Other highlights included the namesake of frontman Gavins’ favorite movie ‘Streetfighter’ – whos’ double layered vocal lines are right up my alley, though I do wonder about the jovially-delivered lyrical content; I reckon there’s more substance behind the easily sung words than you’d first think – will study up and report back. On the night, we were also treated to an impromptu ‘Wedding Singer’ performance, when a “guitar emergency” saw Gavin launch himself onto the space in front of the stage and bounce around with dance moves that brought Carlton from The Fresh Prince to mind. Entertainers, certainly. These guys are also releasing a single towards the end of April. Nice one – I’ll go to that launch party.

Bouts 

Introducing themselves as “both gentlemen and idiots with guitars”, the Bouts boys were clearly in high spirits on Friday, which saw them release their ‘Get Sick / Turn Away’ Double A-Side 7″ in the Workmans’ unforgiving, but all-of-a-sudden-much-fuller main room. One of the title songs off the Split 7″ – ‘Get Sick’ – was one of the first of the set, and opens with a lovely, open guitar line before literally exploding into a noise wave with every instrument kicking in at once, and despite the rather unbecoming lyrical content, it is a great song. Followed up by ‘Barbs’ which I love for its guitars-that-sound-like-motor-cars appeal, the songs were interspersed with “witty, witty banter” or at least, those exact words were spoken, which is something similar I suppose! The set also included a new tune – which had a bouncy 90′s rock appeal, before banging into an all-instrumental chorus, outlined by an almost whispered “I won’t buy” lyric line. It’s great, although apparently “terrifying” to play seeing as it was a “virgin” song. One of the final songs – another on the 7″ – ‘Turn Away’ – which has a brand spanking new accompanying video, which you can check out here – even won me a new friend, in the shape of a snappily dressed older gent that was bouncing effervescently to the band’s tunes, so much so, I could only assume be “belonged” to one of the band members, which apparently, he did not, but he had a good time nonetheless. It was a great showing of a Friday night, and if you missed it you can still catch the tunes on the Bouts bandcamp here. or catch them on their upcoming Irish tour, details of which can be found here.

Breton with support from Ghost Estates - The Academy 2

Breton. 

These boys. They’re not just a band you’re gonna like. They’re a band you’re gonna wanna be. They are cool as fuck. And the best bit is, I don’t think they even know it. That’s fucking awesome.  

Last nights show in The Academy 2 was Bretons’ first ever in Ireland, and as they said themselves, ‘chances are that probably everyone in Ireland that knows about us - is here’ - there was about 50 people. Maybe, 50 people. But the crowd that did turn up to the show seemed to be a bunch of entranced new converts to the band, and many of the skillfully eavesdropped conversations I heard out in the smoking zone (yes I am the Rainman) at the front of the Academy were regurgitations of any of the few bio’s of the band that could be found online. Not overly surprising, given that Breton have only been together for the guts of the year, though they have, to date, released three E.P.s and launched their album, ‘Others Peoples Problems’ earlier this week. When I say go out and buy it, I mean NOW - (here) - its fucking great.. 

A distillation of pretty much every conceivable musical genre there is, Bretons’ tunes are a constant surprise, mashing hip hop, electro, shoe gaze and full on math rock with lyrics - sung - and harmonized - in both english and french, thank you very much. Their show was one of ‘them’ - one you know you’ll be chatting about in a few years going ’ oh yeah, Breton, I fully caught them a few years ago, before they got really fucking huge’, with a smug sense of satisfaction. The set - which i reckon was almost an hour long - was a full on onslaught - rapping, singing, and some of the best employed Korgs and Ableton pads I’ve seen in a while (i love noises), combined with the unique, jaunty drumming stylings of Adam Angier. Amongst the opening tunes was a song called ‘Sharing Notes’, thats a cracker, featuring a violin sample betwixt with some hard core rapping - when i said these guys’ music was unpredictable, this is kinda what I meant. There’s constant surprises in the structure, in the tempo, in the point of reference the music brings to mind - I swear at one point during a tune called ‘Sandpaper’, my mind said, ‘that (Ableton) noise wouldn’t sound out of place on a Skillrex tune’ - though being honest, I don’t really know who Skillrex is - it was just super-dancey and thats who my mind landed on. See? Random. These guys must be Skillrexs’ musical antithesis. Their music is just so full. And they are so damn nonchalant onstage, passing over instruments and swapping roles without missing a beat. Check songs like ‘December’ or ‘Kensington System’ for examples of standouts on the night - or ‘15X’ for proof that the boys are indeed multilingual. The one thing i would say is though, it was at times clear the audience was not entirely sure when to burst into their pretty damn appreciative applause - some of the songs had a tendency to fade out with noisy ambience rather than snap to silence - no one too keen on being that person that accidentally starts clapping mid song - awkward. Finishing up on a called ‘Penultimate’, the lads went to walk off stage though when the crowd started begin for another’s rather humbly quipped ‘I dunno if we have another one - no one ever asks us’ (really??) - and so banged out a tune called ‘`The Well’ - that has a super high Korg line and a gritty and cacophonously noisy breakdown. It’s serious. You know you rate a band when you buy one of their limited run, self designed t-shirts, and are keeping the tag that denotes your number for posterity. (47 / 200 for the record). Keep your eyes on these boys.

Ghost Estates

Support on the night came in the form of Dublins’ own ‘Ghost Estates’ - who we are always big fans of. We’ve seen them on numerous occasions in the last few months - and they really are going from strength to strength. Their set was a quick fire rendition of their realesed-so-far material, including ‘Paris’, ‘Forever or Never’ and ‘October’ (who’s single launch we went along too, and you can read about here) as well as some less familiar tunes - one, in particular, who’s name i didn’t catch, but has a weirdly (awesome) electronic stutter and the beginning, snappy electronic drums laid over the actual drum line and a big, fat guitar line that hovers above the song.  It sounds awesome and makes me excited for the imminent album launch. (By way of mentioning, the lads are doing a ‘Fund-it’ to gather a bitter cash for the vinyl pressing of their album - which you can donate to here.) A great accompaniment to a great band. 

Hidden Agenda Presents : Selebrities & Slow Magic at The Grand Social – In Review

Hidden Agenda Presents : Selebrities & Slow Magic at The Grand Social – In Review

(support from Tandem Felix who I missed. Chagrin.)

Selebrities

Selebrities - an American three-piece who personify the 80s ‘revival’. They are synthy and noisy, and atmospheric samples hover and billow behind the vocal lines – that are delivered with a deadpan, detached nonchalance – it all sounds very promising. But Friday night’s gig in the Grand Social, though enjoyable, was a tale of many and often converse opinions. Songs such as ‘When I Look at You’ or the recently released ‘Night Heat‘ were winners, with deep bassy synth sounds that verge towards ominous, lovely slow booming drum lines (despite being delivered on an electronic drumkit) and constant breathy, panted vocals. But their set, for me, was littered with all too apparent ‘references’ of 80′s pop gems – including Joey Scarsbury’s ‘Believe It or Not’, Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Hungry Heart’ and basically anything New Order ever produced. For me, the points of reference were all too visible, and my constant brain-scanning for the what-song-does-that-song-sound-like distracted and detracted from the set. Forewarned, and if you can set such music-nerd tendencies aside, Selebrities are a good live show – one worth catching alongside their tour partner, Slow Magic.

Walking back into the ‘Loft’ of the Grand Social for the headline act on Friday night – Slow Magic– I was instantly transfixed. Standing onstage behind an Apple Mac and a massive floor tom, face hidden behind a multicolored foxes head mask, the man that is Slow Magic – or our ‘unknown imaginary friend’ – was visually bewitching, and the thick bass sounds reverberating through my entire body, deliciously tangible. Immersed in each dreamy, electronic soundscape were gorgeous keynote melodies, be they piano compositions (Sorry Safari) or delicious synth additions (Feel Flows) or a haunting vocal sample. All accompanied by the thrashing of ever-snapping drumsticks on the sole floor tom, I actually couldn’t take my eyes the man behind the mask (or should that be the mask hiding the man?). Coupled with the stunning visuals provided by Feel Good Lost, the entire set was great, though it made me lament the rather unspectacular turn out in the Grand Social on this particular Friday for such a notable act.

Feel Good Lost (Visuals) 

Admittedly, I have been a fan of Feel Good Lost‘s work for quite a while now – the work they have produced for acts such as Sacred Animals v. Owensie (Cat & Mouse), Mmoths (Summer &Thnx) and most recently, Slow Magic (Corvette Cassette) – but streaming onto and behind a live act, the visuals by Cork team Brendan Canty and Conal Thompson come into their own. There is an otherworldly feel to their work, a concentration on filming natural or seemingly unremarkable things, and through clever and beautiful editing and post-production, elevating these things to something very special. Friday’s show was the perfect accompaniment to both acts, but Slow Magic’s set in particular, the shadowed relief of his masked drumming cutting dark slices through the visual projections. Gorgeous. 

Sarah O’ Neill
@folieadeuxS

The Maccabees / We Cut Corners - In Review

The Maccabees / We Cut Corners - In Review

The Academy

March 3, 2012

Despite the sad-looking refreshment-denying hoods on the taps of the bar in the Academy for this over 14s gig, there was no doubt in my mind that the night was going to be a good one and even with my high expectations, I wasn’t disappointed.

As the Maccabees took to the stage, the temperature rose exponentially with anticipation and the crowd reciprocated their arrival by peeling of the layers of clothes they had put on to, in many cases, run across to the Twisted Pepper next door to grab a quick (alcoholic) drink between bands. ‘Child’ – a track off the Maccabees newly released Given To The Wild album – was the opening gambit for the band, enticing an already game crowd into a bouncing frenzy. Their set constantly fluctuates between singular vocal or guitar lines that rise into blaring, cacophonous soundscapes, pitch-perfect to the recorded versions on the albums. ‘Glimmer’ was a great performance, a gorgeous synth/piano line introduction with nuanced, David Lynch-esque noises balancing sincere and beautiful vocal lines, which were just about heard above the harmonies of the crowd. The band, on what was the first night of a tour that will span thirteen dates around the UK and Ireland, suggested that they felt a touch rusty, though you’d never have guessed it, given the performance of a mix of songs spanning their discography. ‘Grew Up At Midnight’ was the closing track of what turned out to be a three song encore (which I always feel slightly defeats the purpose of an ‘encore’) which initially I thought to be an odd choice, but the sonic intensity at the end of the song proved me damn wrong on that opinion. The whole show was an absolute blinder – the sweaty crowd leaving the building a testament to the great performances by both acts, the only even slightly disgruntled attendee being the bouncer who was often wrestling to get revellers down off the shoulders of others.

Awesome.

Sarah O’ Neill
@FolieadeuxS

Photos by Gareth Sharkey.

Alarmist / Eaten By Bears / Slipdraft / Le Tissier Eleven/11 Label Tour

 Alarmist / Eaten By Bears / Slipdraft / Le Tissier Eleven/11 Label Tour

The Twisted Pepper, Saturday, February 18

There are gigs you go to, that are good. There are ones that are shit. And there are gigs you go to, where  your comparative scale is thrown into very fucking sharp focus, because its just that visceral. The Alarmist and Eaten by Bears Eleven/Eleven A/V  gig in the Twisted Pepper on Saturday most certainly fell into that final category. The dublin date was the final of eight for the tour, that saw the two bands and their compatriots - in charge of the amazing visuals - traverse the length and breath of the country, no doubt leaving a hell of an impression wherever they went.

Alarmist

Math rock. Please discuss. Or save yourself the time scrolling through Wikipedia and go to see this band. They are stunning, and coupled with the amazing sound in the Twisted Pepper and the captivating improvised visuals by their A/V label mates Slipdraft and LeTissier, the whole show is quite a spectacle. Their music is frenetic, impossibly structured and highly conversational, all without a word being spoken. They kicked off the night with “Vitamin Saturday”, and holy hell, you were thrown backwards with the force of the noise. These boys are tight as fuck live, and have a collective synergy that belies the fact that there is only four of them onstage, that, and the fact that each member of the band effectively plays between one and four instruments simotaniously at any given time. The quintet also played a few songs that were new to me, including a new song (who’s name i didn’t catch - sorry) that began with static, syncopated noises, then moved through into strong ambient guitar lines, and had chasing key lines throughout the song. Its frantic crescendo rose to its height before stopping dead into complete silence. Their songs are consistently beautifully structured, and always slightly unexpected. “Clapper”, one of my personal favorites, is an absolute winner of a song, notable for its multilayering of instrumental ‘call’ and ‘answer’ lines between instruments, and a dual drum solo by the pair of drummers, that is a bit of a trip. The boys, by their own admission, spend far too much time pedantically structuring their songs, but upon listening, you can hear every second of effort that goes into each multi facetted composition. This is clever music, that willingly challenges the notion of a ‘classic’ song structure. The joy (er, relief?) from the boys as they finished their set was almost palpable, but surely betwixt with a fair amount of sadness at the completion of what was a highly successful tour. Their self titled E.P. is for sale on their bandcamp for just a fiver. “It’s deadly!” was the roar that came out of the crowd when the lads mentioned this on the night. You know what, slightly drunk punter? I couldn’t agree more.

Eaten By Bears

Vicious. Classical. Math rock, but then there is strains of unexpected steel drums (sounding) samples as well. Eatenbybears music verges on undefinable, but they knocked the air out of my lungs when they started playing on Saturday night. They are a cacophony of guitar, violin, drums and angst ridden, shouted vocals. They are all consuming. Go immediately to their bandcamp and listen. “Duchenne Smile” was one of their first songs, it’s all staccato half words slamming into the microphone, set to a similar bouncing violin/drum line, building up into a smashing repetition of its vocal line - “Smile While You Still Have Your Teeth” - amazing. The angst and ferocity of the music is a constant, and the silhouette of ripping violin bow strings in the blackened room, backlit by the multicolored, random visuals behind the band was an entrancing sight. “Molar” is another cracking song off the Eatenbybears “Teeth” album - and live, is raceous and builds into a blinding, pandemonium of instrumental noise. Set to this backdrop, the lads have a somewhat unexpected ease of character onstage, they are funny, understated and humble. Its a strange dichotomy, given the music they play, you’d almost expect them to be higher maintenance. At one point, guitarist Olan, in thanking their indispensable A/V team (Slipdraft / LeTissier) swore “I herby dedicate the rest of my life to  Ciaran, please don’t put me on mute!”. Bit charming, won’t lie. Their final song was an absolute belter, with a dual vocal and absolutely incredible 2,000,000 mile an hour drumming. It was such a show that i find myself reaching for a few too many superlatives, but I really don’t even care. Only thing missing - a few tears… The Eatenbybears boys had mentioned a few days previous on twitter they were going to literally cry at the end of the tour. Gimme my tears boys.

This tour was only one half music. The Eleven/Eleven is an Audio Visual label, and embraces the notion that the visual aspect of shows is just as important as the music. I was a bit devastated that this was one gig that i hadn’t brought my camcorder along to, because the visual projections by Slipdraft and LeTissier were mesmerizing. Projected onto a pre-made white crystalline looking shape, bolts of light slipped around the perimeter of the cut out with pin point accuracy as the images within the center of the shape echoed the music being performed. In particular, there were great long shots of Eatenbybears performing in a warehouse and some intense steadycam shots, amongst a myriad of more “random”  imagery(though I sure there was a story behind the inclusion of each and every one). Take a minute to check both these artist groups out, their work is stellar.

Also, just to mention, the good folks over at the Eleven/Eleven label have, as a thank you to all the people that came out to the shows, released a free download of Alarmist / Eaten By Bears, along with a lovely set of instructions on how to accurately draw a horse. The deal is, you get the music, but you send back a drawing for them to use in their visual show. Mines gonna look more like a squashed cat (even following instruction) but its a pretty fair deal i reckon.

(find links to all the mentioned artists by clicking on their name)

Ghost Estates ‘October’ Single Launch (w. White Collar Boy, Bouts & The North Sea)

Ghost Estates - October Single Launch In Review

Support from White Collar Boy, Bouts & The North Sea.

The Grand Social

White Collar Boy

White Collar Boy had the dubious honor of kicking off the night on friday to a sparse enough, still trying to get home from work and leg it to the pub crowd on Friday night, but they did so in style. Mark Cummins and Gavin White are the twosome that make up White Collar Boy, and they have been a recurring act on bills all around town in the past few months, with their melodious electronic synth noisiness hitting the mark with punters and critics alike.  Tonight was no different, the gathering crowd bounced along to the pairs’ quick fire half hour set,  through their catalogue of layered, electronic songs, which range from shoegazey (damn i hate that term, even if it is accurate), to syncopated house beats, to full on electronic goodness. The final song “Another Way” in particular was great, all noises and cant-help-but-dance-around beats, ending with a massive wave of distorted noise that literally enveloped everyone in the crowd like a wave of smoke. Mmmmm, distortion. Debut E.P., Solar Midnight, is on the White Collar Bandcamp for free download, but a brand new as-yet-untitled E.P. is also due to be released as a 12”  Vinyl on Record Store Day, April 21. The next couple months sees the duo do a few dates around the rest of the country as well, so keep your eyes peeled.

Bouts

Bouts were the second band to hit the stage and i was anxious to catch them, having only recently realized that their self-titled E.P. is, in fact, really fucking great. (I had had a cursory listen a few months ago, and for shame, had not given it its due). Onstage the four piece are just as tight as their recordings, and they have a nice bit of banter on stage too - always a winner. As a point of musical reference, their sound is a sort of distillation of all the best elements of 90s rock, Weezer meets Soundgarden meets Nirvana, if you will. They played all the lyrically oriented songs on their E.P., including my own personal favorite “We Tried”, as well as knocking out a new song, albeit with I’m-not-sure-we’re-gonna-get-this-right half smiles on all their faces, and it was great to see a band who’s live deliverance of their music diverge slightly from the recordings, keeps it interesting and fresh for both the audience and band. The final song of the night, was notable for its awesomely distorted guitars betwixt with jangles from a bell thing, and elicited a few excited classic rock poses from the bassist, and simultaneous guitar swings at the end of the set. Bouts 7” vinyl has just been pressed, and all you folks out there can get your hands on it very soon, if you’re not so impatient that you just go straight to their bandcamp to check them out!

The North Sea

Despite being a fairly longstanding partner of Ghost Estates at previous shows, this was in fact my first time to see The North Sea (how? I have no idea), but it was great to finally catch the quintet in action. Live, it feels like there are loads of them on stage - i counted about 4 times to make sure there was only five (definitely five, final answer) and they make a lot of noise. Guitar driven, vocal heavy narratives are what these boys do, and do well. “I’ve Seen Everything Now” is a little belter of a tune, that starts with a vulnerable-feeling single guitar line, but escalates quickly to incorporate every instrument onstage as a backdrop to singer Eoin Kenny’s vocals, with some lovely harmonies that for some reason brought a comparison to SquareHead to my mind. If you didn’t catch them this time round, you can head down to Sweeny’s Friday March 3rd, where they will be sharing a stage with The Debutantes, Girl Band and Dot. Alternitively, you can jump on the internet, google The North Sea, and find them on “about page 50, after all the stuff about the ACTUAL North Sea” - their words, not mine! The North Sea are releasing their debut E.P. in April which you can buy if you’re “feeling fond” - god, these Dublin collolquiisms get me every time - but for now you can have a sneak peek at the track “Decay” on their Breaking Tunes page, which was recorded with Ghost Estates own Dan Doherty.

Ghost Estates

You know its a seriously special night when a paisley shirt and trousers  come out to play (Dan Doherty), and it was the launch of Ghost Estates third single “October”, so the outfit was bang on to be fair. The hitherto low key crowd practically launched themselves at the stage as the lads bounced on, clearly in cracking form, and energetic as ever throughout their set. Kicking off with “Winter’s Day”, I was immediately reminded of how much i like these guys live. They are all foot-stomping, wild-eyed ferociousness on stage, the sweat pouring off of them being a testament to that fact! They stormed though their set, highlights being, of course, the epic, building explosion of a song that is “October”, the synthy gorgeousness of “Paris” with its great historical vocal sample, alongside what was to be their closer, “Pop Song”, save for the fact that the insistent crowd chanted for one more tune, to which the boys obliged with a second rendition of the song of the night “October”.,  much to the bouncers dismay, seeing as they were hurriedly setting about clearing the place out for Noel Gallagher’s after party - damn you Noel Gallagher. The second go-round of the launches namesake song riled the crowd into a bit of a frenzy, with singer Dan bounding out into the audience, a consummate showman. 

It was a super launch, with a great buzz between all the bands that were playing on the night. And if the amount of Ghost Estates be-decked punters were anything to go by, damn successful.

Factory Floor w. support by White Collar Boy : Tri-Pod

“Post industrialist” if you’re into your hashtags, but more just filthy and clever electronica to me, Factory Floor took to the stage in POD on Saturday night, and by god, their show is fucking mesmerizing. It is a SHOW. Despite the stage being rather overwhelmed by the massive Desperados branded signage (well done beer marketeers, holy hell), both White Collar Boy and Factory Floor were the only thing you saw on that stage. It was one hell of a night.

White Collar Boy

White Collar Boy took to the stage about 30 minutes after  their billed start time, possibly to allow the late night but early-to-the-club revellers have a few extra minutes to get suitably lubricated for the ensuing show. The two piece that is Mark Cummins and Gavin White took up in front of an eclectic Saturday night crowd (which included one particular dreadlocked lost soul that was dancing incongruously to what i can only assume was the rather questionable reggae soundtrack of his own head). But White Collar Boy, as ever, killed it. Their set, on the rather impressive stage at POD, was the perfect opener and accompaniment for Factory Floor, and the sound in the venue was amazing. Confidently tearing through their set of electronic dance progressions, the twosome enticed the crowd to fill out the massive dancefloor - no mean feat for a support act in this town, but their music speaks for itself, and roused even the most hesitant in the crowd. If you’ve not heard them before, head over to their bandcamp for a free three track download of their E.P. Solar Midnight. 

Factory Floor 

Billed as “the Velvet Underground on pills” you could understand why Factory Floor drew a massive crowd of excitable electronica enthusiasts. But this act is something SERIOUS. Made up of drums, multiple synths and a guitar, the threesome that is Factory Floor have an aloof and detached nonchalance onstage that only serves to make them more intriguing to watch. Theres a touch of Kraftwerk to their performances - but with a more relaxed dress sense - and certainly a more fervent energy by way of a very talented drummer, who was beating his sparkly green drum kit into submission for every single second of their hour long set. They opened with a song called “Lying” - which is one of my favorites from their catalogue of tunes. Its all synth laden noises, with a ferocious and insistent backbeat that whipped the crowd up into a bit of frenzy. The whole set up is pretty slick visually and phonically, but their music is filthy and raw. It is perpetual beats and drums and a guitar played with a snapping violin bow with a fervor that is visually visceral, and sounds just as menacing. Two Different Ways is another unbelievable track that samples their ingenious noises that they make by way of recorded soundplates (something you can look up on their youtube channel factoryfloorfilm), and is unrelenting, thrashing electronica, layered and filled out by Nic Colk Void’s haunting vocals.

The benchmark has been set by this one.

Review: Whelan’s “Ones To Watch” 2012 – Friday

Review: Whelan’s “Ones To Watch” 2012 – Friday

Now I know the “Ones to Watch” festival at Whelan’s over the weekend was sponsored by Heineken and Music Maker, but hot damn, with all the Apple paraphernalia scattered around the place on Friday night, Steve Jobs sure would have been proud. The over-riding theme of the night was all things electronica, and that suited me just fine, given that this was the third night on the trot – I needed the boost. “What an absolute trooper”, I can hear you whisper… I know, right?

White Collar Boy

So the name got me to the room (despite an unfortunate  timetable clash with Bantum, dammit), but the impressive electronica out of this Dublin based two-piece ensured I stayed put in Whelan’s upper room. Hunched over (inexplicably) low tables, the two lads, Gavin White and Mark Cummins, laid a variety of electronic beats over each other with growing levels of intensity, both in energy and frantic layered synth and vocal melodies.  About halfway through the set, a young  girl by the name of Jemma Dunlovely took to the stage with the two-some to perform a song called ‘Capslock’, and for me, this is when the show came into its own. Her voice is soft and has an understated, gravelly quality that melds well with her male counterparts and sets off the layered electronic mayhem beautifully. The song is available for free download from the White Collar Boy Soundcloud, and by all accounts there will be a video being released at the end of the week to accompany it . Nice.

Tenaka

Tenaka’s music is deep, bassy and all enveloping electro, that wraps around you whilst traversing a myriad of influences. At times I could hear strains of The Prodigy or old school funk, but always with a very modern electronic edge. The show on the night was a bit of a variety show of sorts and saw Tenaka encompass guest spots from a few of the other performers, including Bantum, Sorcha Brennan (Sleep Thieves) and Sacred Animals’ Darragh Nolan, amongst his electronic set. This made the overall gig really eclectic and varied in sound and tone, but unfortunately also added an extra headache (and delay) dealing with sound issues between each song, which you could see was irritating the hell out of Ronan Carroll. Nevertheless, the combination of the live vocals and intricate beat patterns were really great to hear live; it’s enchanting stuff.

Last Days of 1984

Again, the three stage overlap issue came into force here and, much to my dismay, I only got a chance to catch a short snippet of the Last Days set, which, by all accounts, was awesome in its entirety. They belted out two songs before I had to make a sharpish exit to catch Sleep Thieves over in the Village, but they were great. For some reason (despite having seen the boys before) I didn’t actually realize (here you can read REMEMBER if you are inclined to be more cynical about my drinking habits) that the band was made up of only two lads – Darren Moloney and Brian Rice. Point being, that if you listen to a song, for example, such as ‘River’s Edge’, it sounds a hell of a lot fuller than you would expect just two people to be able to create. A great mix of melody and creative synth beats, mixed with a serious electro buzz, the lads have a truly symbiotic relationship on stage that makes me sort of jealous. You can see them visibly reading each other and buzzing off the process of recreating their music live. It’s a serious trip. Next time, I’m in for the whole show.

Sleep Thieves

My first gig of the weekend in the Village , and it must be said, its quite the venue. Great stage, a serious lighting set up and obligatory oversized glitter balls made it the perfect place to catch one of my favorite bands of the festival. The threesome belted out a number of songs off their recently released Heart Waves album, before (almost relievedly) launching into a new song, dubbed ‘Islands’.  I thought it was great that they took the opportunity to air some new material, and it was great to hear where the band are going with their music, which was a progression on their earlier releases, but with a more distorted rock edge, and sounds (even) more accomplished. They finished the night on ‘Magnetic Heart’, a cracking tune, that garnered a serious amount of praise from the appreciative audience. Another winner.

Ghost Estates

Ghost Estates were the last band to take to the stage on the Village on Friday night, and they played a blinder. The large stage suits them down to a tee and they were tighter than I have ever seen them before. The boys have been practicing, I reckon, for what was their first show of the year and their rocking, soundscape-y set got an amazing response from a crowd that gathered rapidly as they took over the stage. Consummate businessmen that they are, the band did not miss a trick in plugging their upcoming Grand Social single launch gig that is happening on the 17th of February, to see in their new song ‘Pop Song’ off their soon-to-be-launched album… the 17th, the 17th, the 17th, the 17th… (you all got that right? The 17th of February, The Grand Social, the 17th, ‘Pop Song’ single launch, ahem…) Based on their rendition of said song on the night (they closed with it), it’ll be one to catch. That’s, eh, the Grand Social, on the 17th, in case I forgot to mention.

Sarah O’Neill
@FolieadeuxS